Rich Massabny Reviews

Rich Massabny is a theatre, arts, & food critic in the nation's capital. He has been quoted in the Washington Post and Washington Times. One of the most visible cable television personalities in the Washington, D.C. area, his celebrity chefs on cooking shows, his weekly reviews and his hour long talk show, reach over 1,000,000 homes.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

This is the 11th “silent
Shakespeare” production in over a dozen years by Synetic Theater in
Arlington. I’m talking about Synetic’s exciting version of Shakespeare’s
“MuchAdo About Nothing” playing in Crystal City through March 22 at 1610
Bell Street. This show may be wordless, as the others, but the sound is so
exciting. High fives to Thomas Sowers, sound master, along with sound editor,
Konstantine Lortkipanidze. “Much Ado”
is set in the 1950s in Las Vegas and is directed by Synetic’s founding
artistic director, Paata Tsikurishvili. After temporarily splitting from
Benedick (Ben Cunis), Beatrice (Irina Tsikurishvili), moves in with herUncle Leonato (Peter Pereyra) and his young
daughter, Hero (Emily Whitworth). There’s a great and wonderfully creative
scene with motorcyclists that I loved. Among the bikers is Benedick and Claudio
(Scott Brown) who falls in lovewith
Hero. Among all the heavy-duty activity there’s time at the end for a double
wedding. Don’t miss the fun at Synetic Theater and “Much Ado About Nothing.” For information and tickets, call
703-824-8060 and check the website at www.synetictheater.org.

The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
in D.C. is celebrating its 35th season. Its newest production is “Cherokee,” by playwright Lisa D’Amour
and directed by company member, John Vreeke.The story is about two couples who take off to the hills of Cherokee,
North Carolina to explore nature, leaving behind all the trappings of suburban
life. The couples areJohn and Janine,
played by Paul Morella and Jennifer Mendenhall; and Mike and Traci, played by
Thomas W. Jones II and Erica Chamblee. One of the group members disappears and
the others meet a Native American from Cherokee played by Jason Grasl. This is
avery interesting play as we follow the
psychological changes, however subtle, that occur to the couples. “Cherokee” plays through March 8 at
Woolly Mammoth. For information and tickets, call 202-393-3939 and check the
website at www.woollymammoth.net

Last Saturday at the Regal Theatres in
Ballston, the Metropolitan Opera of New York simulcast a double-bill
treat,Peter Tchaikovski’s “Iolanta” and Bela Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle.” One of my
favorite opera stars, Anna Netrebko, sang the title role of “Iolanta.” It’s about a woman who has
been blind since birth andher loving
father, King Rene (Ilya Bannik) who has been protecting her from her
surroundings. Another favorite, Piotr Beczala plays Vaudemont, who wins
Iolanta’s love.In “Bluebeard’s Castle,”the
beautiful Judith (Nadja Michael), falls under the spell of Bluebeard (Michael
Petranko). Conducting both operas was Valery Gergiev. These simulcasts from the
New York Met are offered through FathomEvents. Coming up on March 14 at 1 p.m.
is “Rossino.”For more information,
check the website at www.fathomevents.com

Friday, February 13, 2015

“King Hedley II” at the Arena
Stage in D.C., is the ninth in a cycle of 10 plays by Pulitzer Prize
winning playwright, August Wilson.Wilson is a master storyteller as hisplays explore the daily lives of black people in America. “King Hedley II” is set inPittsburgh in the 80’s. King is a relatively
young man who has just returned from prison for killing a man.His dream is to marry and start his own
business. However, life gets in the way. The ensemble cast of six actors are
indeed storytellers themselves. Great acting from Bowman Wright (King), Andre
De Shields (Stool Pigeon), Kenyatta Rogers (Mister), E. Faye Butler (Ruby),
Jessica Frances Dukes (Tanya) and Michael Anthony Williams (Elmore).Timothy Douglas, who has directed most of
Wilson’s plays, presented an interesting concept with all of the actors either
on center stage or off on the side watching. Very effective. “King Hedley II” runs through March 8
at the Arena Stage. For information and tickets, call 202-488-3300 and
check the website at www.arenastage.org.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Tony Award winning Broadway musical, “Chicago,” is at The National
Theater in D.C. through Sunday, February 15. As I mentioned on the shows
last week, I was really looking forward to seeing it again - - and it didn’t
disappoint. The musical numbers are non-stop and each is a show stopper on its
own. The story is set in 1920s Chicago and features two gals in jail for
homicide and the lawyer who gets them off. The gals are Velma (Terra C.
MacLeod), a dancer by trade and Roxie (Bianca Marroquin), a wannabe dancer
married to a schmoe and cheating on her husband. Enter lawyer Billy Flynn,
played by well known TV personality John O’Hurley (Seinfeld, Dancing with the
Stars). Hurley is terrificas the handsome,
self absorbed Flynn He has quite a set of pipes, too. “Chicago” is just a great, great musical with songs that will stick
in your head for days.It was written by
Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander with lyrics also by Ebb. “Chicago” should be on everyone’s top10
Broadway shows not to be missed. For information and tickets, call 202-628-6161
or check the website at www.nationaltheatre.org.